Vietnamese players advanced to the third round of the YONEX Waikato International badminton tournament in Hamilton, New Zealand, on March 28.

Rising badminton star Nguyen Hai Dang (Source: www.renelagerwaard.nl)

Rising star Nguyen Hai Dang defeated number seven seed Eveshgaran Vasigaran of Malaysia 16-21, 21-9, 21-17 in the men’s singles event. He will next play Runze Yan of the hosts.

His senior teammate Nguyen Tien Minh, who is the top seed, did not struggle to win 21-3, 21-5 over Oswald Fung of England. His opponent in the next match is Gu Jung-feng of China.

Number three seed Le Duc Phat won 21-17, 21-15 against Chinese player Tang Kai-feng. He will face Japan’s Shota Omoto.

On the women’s side, number one seed Vu Thi Trang enjoyed a bye through the first round. She will play Shaunna Li of the hosts in the second round.

Vietnamese player Vu Thi Anh Thu beat Ella Smith of New Zealand 21-11, 21-6. Her next rival, Chua Hui Zhenn Grace of Singapore, will be a big challenge as the number two seed.-VNA